The Covalent Bond Corollary
by Jaycie Victory
Summary: Raj questions the bond between Sheldon and Penny. Raj POV. Shenny.


Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from the Big Bang Theory; this story is purely written for fun, not for any profit.

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**The Covalent Bond Corollary**

Raj and Sheldon looked up as the door to apartment 4A opened.

Penny wandered in barefoot, clad in her usual uniform of hot pants and tank top, and carrying a copy of _People _magazine.

'Hey guys,' she chirped. 'Whatcha doing?'

Raj was waiting for Howard and Leonard to get back from Caltech, but since he was currently finishing off an alcohol-free drink, he had no way of telling Penny this, so he merely waved at her, shyly smiling.

Sheldon looked at her briefly before turning back to the television. 'We're watching a grossly oversimplified educational program on atoms and covalent bonding. It's the chemical equivalent of Sesame Street.' His tone was derisive.

Penny looked quizzical, 'Then… why watch it?'

Sheldon stared at her as if it was obvious. 'I like Sesame Street.'

Penny rolled her eyes and stood for a moment, listening to the narrator's voiceover:

'_The __Octet Rule__ requires all atoms in a molecule to have eight valence electrons in order to become stable - either by sharing, losing or gaining electrons. For covalent bonds, atoms tend to share their electrons with each other to satisfy the Octet Rule.'_

'It's not quite as catchy as Elmo's World,' she deadpanned.

Sheldon ignored her and levered himself to his feet. 'If you'll excuse me, I have to void my bowels.'

Raj and Penny's noses wrinkled in simultaneous disgust.

As soon as Sheldon disappeared around the corner, Penny smiled mischievously and flopped down where he had been sitting.

Raj nearly choked on his Yoohoo; he tried shaking his head at Penny in warning, but she just wriggled further into the imprint left by Sheldon and started reading her magazine. Mentally shrugging, Raj resigned himself and went back to watching the program.

Minutes later, his concentration was broken.

'You're in my spot,' Sheldon was stood next to the couch, glaring at the sunny blonde.

'So?' Penny smirked at him, lounging in as offensive a manner as possible.

Sheldon's posture became even more rigid and his fists clenched. 'Penny, my statement should not require explication - it was an archetypal example of _res ipsa loquitur_.' When Penny deliberately dropped her mouth open and widened her eyes in the gormless fashion she knew infuriated him, he huffed and explicated: '_Res ipsa loquitur _is Latin for "the thing itself speaks". The words "you're in my spot" are both an expression of a visual-spatial-temporal reality, that that is where you are sitting, but also an intimation of moral judgment, that you _know _it is wrong of you to sit there, AND they are a promise of the retribution to come if that visual-spatial-temporal reality continues.' He widened his eyes at her.

Penny widened her eyes right back. 'So?' she repeated.

Sheldon's expression progressed to the 'I-am-one-lab-accident-away-from-becoming-a-super- villain' stage.

Seeing he was close to implosion, Penny smiled at him: 'Relax, Moonpie.' She shifted right, moving away from his spot. Sheldon smiled back in relief and sat down next to her. Penny immediately swung her legs up and burrowed her bare toes under his thigh, seeking warmth.

'Penny!' Sheldon yelped in shocked disbelief.

Penny's expression became beatific. 'Sheldon, that action was an archetypal example of the well-known American phrase "roll with the punches".'

Sheldon's eye began to twitch: 'I'm not familiar with that sports metaphor.'

'It means learn to pick your battles or I'll punch you in the face.' The words were harsh, but her smile was dazzling.

Raj winced and waited for the meltdown

Sheldon huffed again. 'Fine,' he conceded, and settled back to watch the program.

Raj's eyes almost popped out his head. He focused on the program's voiceover, seeking some kind of anchor in a world suddenly gone mad.

'_When atoms of different elements share electrons through covalent bonding, the electron will be drawn more toward the atom with the higher electronegativity, resulting in a polar covalent bond.'_

Raj found his neck craning back to look at the couple sitting companionably together on the couch, supremely relaxed.

Eyes widening in stunned realisation, he got to his feet and wandered out the apartment.

He wondered how long it would be before the two realised just what kind of bond it was they had formed.

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Author's Note:

I originally wrote this as a one-shot, but feel like it might work as a prologue to a longer story, so I'm leaving it open for now. Hope you enjoyed.


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